Fluid filter



April il, 1950 A. sfB. 'scoTT 2,503,566

FLUID FILTER Filed Nv. 5, 1948 Albe/'l 5.13.560#

Patented Apr. 1l, 1950 UNI-Tw STATES My invention relates 'tonew and useful improvements in fluid lters, an object-of the in vention being t provide a device of thecharacter herewithin'described in which the sump of the lter can be cleaned and flushed without dismantling. I' A.4 further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character'herewithin described Which includes means whereby relatively large obstructions can be displaced without the necessity ofl dismantling the filter.

Another object of` my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes means for reducing the risk of total blockage occurring at the outlet of the tank as will hereinafter be described. l .A still'further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithindescribed'which includes an inlet 4pipe so situated as to direct foreign matter, which may be c0ntained in the fluid, towards the base of the sump. l y

A still further'object of my invention is toprovide a device of thecharacter herewithin described whereby the filtering element may be kept clear of foreign matter by the self-cleaning action of the,` uid passing therethrough.

Another object of my invention isto provide a device ofthe character herewithin described which is rugged in construction, economical in manufacture, and particularly suited for use with relatively heavy vehicles,- being designed primarily to Vbe installeddirectlyl'to'the fuel tanks there- With the foregoing objects in View, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which the single figure is a side elevation of my filter sectioned in part to show the interior thereof.

Considerable difculty has been experienced in the past in lproviding a fluid lter, suitable for use with relatively heavy vehicles such as farm tractors and the like, which will deal successfully with relatively coarse foreign matter as well as the ner particles normally found in the present day internal combustion engine fuels. General conditions on the farm do not lead to the eicient storage and protection of these fuels, it being normal to replenish the tanks of tractors and the like with fuel contained in cans which may or may not be carried by the tractor, and it has been found that the conventional filter incorpo-'- rating a very ne mesh screen,-l regularly' bei comes clogged and inoperative due to the large amount of interfering material'presentin the fuel and tanks of farm vehicles. L

Consequently I Ahave designed the filter hereinafter to be described which, in this embodiment,` is adapted to be Aattached directly to the tank ofthe vehicle andV which includes means whereby the heavier foreign matter may be separated out by gravity, the screen being used for the filtering of the relatively light particles. Proceeding therefore to describe my filterin detail, it will be seen upon reference to theacl companying drawing to comprise the main body l having a circular configuration and being provided with the upstandingv centrally disposed shoulder 2 which in turn is surmounted by the screw threaded tapered portion 3 by which the lter may be attached to the underside of the associated tank 4 in the conventional manner` The vstand pipe 5 extends upwardly from the screw-threaded portion 3 within the associated tank 4, Ain the mannershown in the figure of the accompanying drawings, in order to pre-l vent the introduction into the filter of any scale and the vlike which may be present in the lower part ofthe tank. The centrally disposed, lon gi'y tudinally extending inlet drilling 6 is provided through l.the 'aforementioned 'shoulder and stand pipeto' communicate with the lter body ashere'- inafter "to lbel ,describegliU4 Inl thisfc'onnectionL 'it should beV noted that 'the upper portion .of the s't'andpipe -is-'provid-ed with the'fou'r notches 1in order to prevent total blockage of the stand pipe taking 'place in the event of a relatively large obstruction occurring. The pet cock 3 is provided transversely within the shoulder 2 in order to control the iow of fuel from the tank to the filter it being provided with the conventional on-ofl' positions.

The under surface of the body i of the lter is provided with an annular rim 9 adapted to receive the cylindrical filter housing or sediment bowl lil manufactured preferably from glass or transparent plastic. lThe lower portion of the bowl l0 is receivable into the corresponding annular rim Il provided in the sump or base body portion,A I2 of the filter and it should be noted at this point that conventional cork sealing washers may be provided at the junction of the glass bowl to the top and bottom body portions. Clamping rods I3 engage with the top and bottom body portions and are provided with the tightening means I4 in the form of nuts or the like in' order to maintain the iilter components assembled. The centrally disposed shoulder I5 is providedon the underside of the lower body portion I2 and contains the upwardly flared aperture I6 communicating between the bowl I0 and the drainv I1, being provided with the transversely situated petcock I8 in order that the contents of the bowl I0 may be discharged as required. The ilared aperture I6 -together with the drain I'I andthe Vpetcock I8-are designated as the sediment discharge valve in the appended claim.

The under surface oi the upper body portion l I is recessed around the vinlet pipe 6 and screwthreaded to receive the open-ended dispersion pipe I 9 which extends downwardly within'the- .i

as soon as the fuel passes the uppermost end 2| of the bifurcation. The upper portion I of the lter body is provided with the discharge 'aperture 22 communicating with the screwthreaded union 23 to which may be attached a conventional conduit leading to the Carburettor of the engine. The relatively small shoulder 24 situated on the under side of the top body portion is provided with the thimble iilter 25 through which the fluid passes and is connected to the aforementioned discharge aperture 22 by means of the vertical drilling 2B.

Having therefore described my invention in detail its method of application will now be presented.

Under normal running conditions the petcock 8 is turned on and uid flows via gravity through the inlet pipe I to the dispersion pipe I9 and thence to the sediment bowl I0, the heavier foreign matter being deposited 'oy gravity within the sump I6 in the normal manner. When the bowl is full, fluid then flows via the thimble illter 25 to the discharge aperture 22 and thence to the carburettor, the thimble filter straining the relatively .ne particles from the fuel and remaining in a relatively clean condition due to the vibrationand movement of the fuel thereaway with it any foreign matter deposited within the sump. It will be noted that the top of the bowl I0 is in vertical linear alignment with the tank 4 and that the sediment discharge valve is in vertical alignment with the dispersion pipe Thus, in the event of a relatively large obstruction occurring within the inlet pipe 6, the pet cock I8 may be turned to the on position and a stiil wire inserted through the drain, through the dispersion pipe and into the tank thus removing the obstruction and allowing the free passage of fuel therethrough, giving what I designate as a concentric axial run-through to the filter.

' Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinbefore described, and many apparently widely diierent embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claim without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

A fluid iiltcr for a gasoline tank and the like comprising in combination a cylindrical sediment bowl in communication withsaid tank, said bowl being in vertical linear communication with said tank at the top of the former, a divergently bifurcated and open-ended dispersion pipe extending downwardly into said bowl, drillings in the apical region of said pipe in vertical alignment with the axis of said vertical linear communication between said bowl and said tank, a standpipe extending upwardly into said tank from the cover of said bowl, said cover being apertured concentrically with said stand-pipe and said dispersion pipe in vertical 'alignment therewith, a discharge aperture being provided in the upper region of said bowl, the' axial run-through of said stand-pipe, said dispersion pipe, and said discharge valve being concentric.

ALBERT S. B. SCOTT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 535,167 Kotz Mar. 5, 1895 1,040,283 Crum Oct. 8, 1912 1,062,236 Hitchcock May 20, 1913 1,746,274 Otis Feb. 1l, 1930 

